A Ghost from the Past (a McRoll in the REAL World story)
by sammy1026
Summary: An old nemesis resurfaces.
1. Chapter 1

_Mari & Ilna: What can I say? I'm enjoying this adventure every bit as much as I was on day one. Maybe more._

_REAL Worlders-thanks for all the enthusiastic support. You guys are the best._

* * *

**A Ghost from the Past (1/1)**

The Five-0 team looked up from the smart table where they were reviewing the evidence on their latest case and saw two large, serious looking sheriff's deputies, who they recognized as being part of the governor's protection detail, come into the bullpen. One of the deputies remained by the door as the other did a visual examination of the room, checking Steve's office and peering down the hall.

"Is there anyone here other than the four of you?" he asked as he approached the team.

A feeling of uneasiness began to work its way down Steve's spine. He was used to the governor's security measures, but he read an increased level of tension coming off the deputies today. "No. It's just us."

The deputy nodded to his counterpart who opened the door and allowed Leah and Catherine to enter. The somber looks on their faces did nothing to put Steve's mind at ease. His eyes immediately sought out Catherine's and their shared silent communication let him know this was not an average visit. "What's going on?"

"Can we go in your office and talk?" Leah requested, her fingers clutched tightly around a manila folder. "This is a very sensitive matter and I can't chance anyone walking in and overhearing."

Danny nodded towards the two deputies. "Fat chance of that happening with them on duty."

Leah smiled tightly.

Danny looked at Steve but immediately realized his partner had no idea what the visit was about either. Chin shut down the overhead screens as the rest of the team gathered their things to head back to their respective offices.

"I'm sorry," Leah said. "I should have been clearer. We need to talk to everyone."

The uneasiness Steve had been feeling began to spread to the other team members as they filed silently into his office. Leah took a seat on the couch along with Danny. Chin and Kono turned the visitors' chairs to face the governor. Steve and Catherine remained standing.

Leah took a deep breath and addressed the group. "As you're all aware, HPD has been running an investigation into some items that have come up missing from the evidence storage."

The team all nodded.

"I thought that was going well." Steve leaned against the edge of his desk. "Duke briefed us a few days ago and said they had some pretty good leads."

"They do. They've done some excellent work on this case." Leah's pride in the police department was unmistakable. "They've narrowed it down to a handful of suspects who all work for the transportation company that moves material from HPD to the warehouse."

Danny leaned forward slightly. "How can we help? Do they need some back up when the bust goes down?"

"Actually," Leah reached for the folder she'd placed on the coffee table, "it's not that case we're here to talk to you about. It's something else that turned up during the investigation." She opened the folder and removed three pictures. She passed them to Danny who looked at them then passed them on to Kono.

At first glance there was nothing unusual about the photos. They looked like standard police surveillance. One was of a meeting of three men on the docks, the next was several men exiting a restaurant, and the third was of a group of men outside a warehouse. They'd all seen similar pictures thousands of times.

The photos made their way around to Steve who studied them closely in an attempt to see what had Leah and Catherine so on edge.

He saw nothing unusual.

"These photos were just three of hundreds that HPD sent over to my office," Leah continued. "I asked them to keep me apprised of the investigation. I take any breach of security when it comes to law enforcement very seriously."

"What was so special about these three photos?" Chin asked.

"The HPD had earmarked them because there was one man in them that couldn't be identified," Leah replied. "They tried all normal channels, including Interpol, but came up empty. They contacted Homeland Security but were told there was a backlog and it would be a six week wait for results. They wanted to know if I could expedite the process and get them some quicker answers."

"Did you?" Kono asked.

"I didn't need to. I sent copies of the pictures to Catherine's office to see if she could talk to some of her military contacts and see if they knew who the man was but …" Leah looked at her chief of staff. "Why don't you take it from here?"

"I didn't need to call anyone," Catherine said grimly. "I recognized the man right away. He's older, and he's shaved off his facial hair, probably to avoid detection, but I'd know him anywhere. His name is Almas Fairiborz. He runs one of the biggest crime syndicates in Afghanistan."

Steve's brows creased. "How does a guy like that even get out of his own country, let alone freely walk around here? Isn't he under surveillance?"

Catherine's features tightened. "No, he's not. Because according to the Department of Defense he's been dead for eight years."

"What?" Danny's voice rose slightly. "How does something like this happen?"

"Investigating Fairiborz's organizations was one of my first assignments when I got to Afghanistan," Catherine explained. "He is absolutely ruthless. He tortures and maims innocent civilians regularly as a message to others in the town to keep their mouths shut. His level of brutality is extreme even for that region. We got close a couple of times but unfortunately he has powerful friends in the government that protect him. We were never able to get him into custody."

Steve shifted closer to Catherine in a show of silent support. He knew how much many of her old cases from her time in the navy stayed with her. How she wished she would have been able to completely clean up the country she had grown so fond of.

"Eventually we had to move on to other cases but over the years me and a few others in the intel community kept tabs on Fairiborz as best we could. Every once in awhile we'd convince my superiors to take another run at him, but we could never get any real traction. It was impossible to get anyone to turn on him. They were all too afraid of what would happen to their families if they talked."

"I don't understand," Kono said. "Why does the government think he's dead?"

Catherine jaw tightened even further. "A few months before I was transferred stateside, we finally got the break we needed. We managed to get some information from an old man named Fazir, whose grandson, Kochi, was working for Fairiborz. Fazir's wife and his only son had been killed in a roadside bombing the previous year along with his daughter in law. He told us everyone he loved was gone and he didn't care what happened to him as long as he could save his grandson who had been recruited by Fairiborz in the wake of his parents' death."

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Catherine took a deep breath and continued.

"We planned the raid out down to the smallest detail. Everything was in place. We were just waiting for the go ahead from our superiors. Days passed. Then a week. The Afghani government had somehow gotten word about what was happening, and they were exerting pressure on Washington to kill the raid. We were afraid we were going to lose our chance but finally we got approval to go and planned to move at first light."

"Before we could move in, somewhere around midnight, there was a massive explosion at the compound. By the time we were allowed in it was nothing but a smoldering pile of rubble. They pulled 31 bodies out over the next few days. The official story was that Fairiborz was one of them."

"But you didn't believe it," Steve said. It was more of a statement than a question.

Catherine shook her head. "None of us who were there on the ground did. We knew he'd been tipped off. We figured he planned the explosion as a diversion to get away." Her eyes narrowed. "He had no problem killing dozens of his own people to save his own skin. But there wasn't much we could do. We tried appealing to our superior officers, but we were told it was a closed case. As far as the United States government was concerned, he was dead. A few months later I was assigned to Pearl. I've talked to some people over the years who were still working the case, under the radar of course, but as far as anyone could tell he was laying low."

"But now he's here in Hawaii," Leah said worriedly.

"The question is what's he after," Danny said.

"Whatever it is it's bad news." Catherine's tone was both grim and determined. "And we can't let him slip through our fingers again. This time we need to nail him."

"Well then …" Steve's spine straightened. "Let's get to work."

**THE END**

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

_ANs in chapter 1_

"What was so urgent I had to run over here in the middle of the day?" The new arrival's voice held a tone of barely restrained annoyance.

Almas Fairiborz looked up from the newspaper he was reading and regarded the man with an icy stare. He pointed to the chair across from him and the man hesitated slightly then took a seat. His demeanor changed immediately. His tone softened and his head bowed slightly. "I'm sorry. It's just that today is an incredibly busy day and trying to get out without telling anyone where I was headed was a challenge."

"Your ability to meet challenges is one of the reasons I chose you to go into business with." Fairiborz raised one eyebrow. "Did I make a poor choice?"

The man shook his head vigorously. "No, of course not."

"Because I notice you had no trouble accepting my very generous down payment on your services."

For a man who had lived most of his life in a remote area of Afghanistan, Almas Fairiborz spoke nearly flawless English. It was one of the first things he began working on after he hatched his plan several years earlier to relocate his business empire. The current climate in his home country wasn't favorable for him. He found he needed to look elsewhere for the two things he considered essential in life- more power and more money. He set his sights on America where he believed the possibilities were endless.

The other man swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. I know you must have a good reason for asking to see me."

"I did indeed." Fairiborz folded the newspaper he had been reading and tossed it on the table in front of him. "What's this?" He indicated a picture on the front page of the style section.

The man glanced at the picture then back at Fairiborz, his eyebrows knit together in confusion. "It's a picture of me and my wife at the governor's re-election fundraiser last weekend."

Fairiborz leaned forward and pointed to a woman in the background of the picture. "Who is she?" It was a face he knew he would never forget. He often saw it in his dreams.

The man leaned over to examine the picture more closely. "That's Catherine Rollins. She's the governor's chief of staff."

"And a former naval intelligence officer." Fairiborz spat out contemptuously.

"Yes." The man regarded Fairiborz. "You know her?"

Fairiborz's slick demeanor, crafted and polished over several years to help make him more palatable to potential business partners in the United States, fell away. "You might say that." His eyes narrowed. "Lieutenant Rollins and I have crossed paths before. In fact …" The pause hung in the air and caused a cold chill to run down the other man's spine. "We have an old score I've been waiting a long time to settle."

"No, no, no." The man shook his head adamantly. "We agreed. No violence. No bloodshed."

Fairiborz leaned forward in his chair, grabbed the newspaper and threw it across the room, barely missing one of his ever-present bodyguards. "You have no idea the kind of problems this woman caused me."

"That was a long time ago." The man scrambled desperately to reassert some of his own power.

Almas Fairiborz was an imposing man with an intimidating presence. He fought his way to the top of the illegal gun and drug trade in his home country by being absolutely ruthless. Human life meant nothing to him if it stood in the way of achieving his goals of unchallenged power and endless wealth.

In the beginning he took pleasure in committing acts of violence himself. Stories of the level of brutality he was willing to unleash on his victims, as well as their families and friends, spread like wildfire. No one dared challenge him for fear of suffering the same fate. As his influence grew, he enjoyed ordering others to kill and torture. It fed his ego to know he could dominate people so completely. Lowly villagers and high-ranking political office holders all bent to his will. They knew not doing so would incur disastrous results.

But that was all before SHE came along.

"Some memories remain fresh forever," Fairiborz hissed.

He thought back to the night he was forced to flee into the mountains just a few steps ahead of an American led raid on his compound. How he made the decision to set a charge that would wipe out most of his inner circle. It wisely eliminated anyone who might spill details of his organization to the Americans but at the same time it left him in a weakened position strategically. With his closest allies gone he'd been forced to go into hiding. Others stepped in immediately to fill the vacuum and he watched helplessly as his power slipped away. Unable to regain what he'd lost in the country he loved he'd been forced to look elsewhere.

He would never forgive Catherine Rollins for driving him from his home.

"I told you from the very beginning …" The man's posture became more rigid. "I can't protect you if bloody bodies start turning up."

"Can't?" Fairiborz brushed a piece of non-existent lint from his custom-tailored jacket. "Or won't?"

The man took a deep fortifying breath. "Both."

Fairiborz sat back in his chair and regarded the man carefully. Their business partnership was only a few months old, but he still felt he knew the man inside out. Assessing people was one of his self-professed strengths. He'd considered several potential candidates when he began researching Hawaii as a possible base for expanding his business to America. He needed someone with enough real power to be of use to him but also who he could still control. It had been a source of great frustration to him that several men he approached with the prospect of a partnership had demands of their own. He was used to complete subservience. He'd found out quickly that his reputation didn't instill fear in America the way it once had it his home country.

Not yet, at least.

He knew he needed to get a foothold in the gun and drug trade while attracting as little attention as possible. Build a powerbase first then eliminate all challengers and competitors. It was the same strategy he had used to rise through the ranks once before. The problem is that he had been young and hungry then. More patient. More willing to bide his time and wait for an opening. Now, having had a taste of absolute, unquestioned authority, he was reluctant to give it up. To work on another's terms. But in this case, he had to admit to himself he needed his new partner as badly as the man needed him.

For now, he would have to toe the line. But the day would come, he was positive, where he would face off with Catherine Rollins again. And this time he wouldn't be the one to lose.

He steepled his fingers under his chin. "It seems you're fond of her."

"I've known her for several years." The man was unwilling to show too many of his cards to the person he shared a decidedly uneasy partnership with. "I've had business dealings with her."

"As have I," Fairiborz replied slowly.

"Listen to me," the man said. "She's an important figure here on the island. "She's the governor's chief of staff. She's married to the head of Five-0. If you go after her you'll be dealing with people I have no control over. The FBI. Homeland Security. Who knows who else? I won't be able to protect you."

Fairiborz remained silent but appeared to be weighing his options.

The man continued. "We had a deal. I promised to help you build your business here in Hawaii by exploiting avenues other than violence and bloodshed. And that's exactly what I've been doing."

Fairiborz nodded. He had to concede things were moving along at an acceptable pace. He already had several large deals in place and his competitors, while clearly taking notice, had not to this point made any attempts to stop his rise. His new partner was proving useful in clearing the path for him.

He had to be patient a while longer.

Once he was more firmly established, he wouldn't need a partnership anymore and there would be no one to challenge his decisions. At that point the man now sitting in front of him would learn how much Almas Fairiborz detested being restrained. And how he dealt with those that tried.

But that was for another day.

"Very well." He pasted on a look of sincerity. "No physical violence against Lieutenant Rollins."

"Thank you." The man released a sigh of relief. The tension is his muscles released slightly. He was truly fond of Catherine and wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her. Aside from that though, it felt good to reassert some power in the partnership. It made him think his decision to go into business with Alms Fairiborz was going to turn out to be a good one.

Unfortunately, that feeling was short-lived.

"After all, psychological torture can be just as much fun. Even more so because it can last longer." Fairiborz smiled ferally.

The other man's blood ran cold.

What had he gotten himself into?

**END CHAPTER 2**


	3. Chapter 3

_This story references events first discussed in my story Chasing Old Ghosts. It's not necessary to read that first but this might make more sense if you do._

* * *

Steve entered the kitchen after his morning run, Cammie at his heels, and he could immediately tell something wasn't right. His eyes landed on Angie who was sitting at the table eating a cut up bagel and a handful of strawberries. Her eyes lit up the second she saw him.

"Daddy! Ba-el!" She held a bite of her favorite breakfast food out to him.

"In a minute, sweetie," he replied as his gaze moved towards Catherine.

"Cammieeee." Angie's attention shifted to her faithful canine companion.

In the time it took him to take three steps across the kitchen he was already assessing Catherine. She was gripping the edge of the island tightly with one hand, her phone clutched in the other. All the blood appeared to have drained from her face. Her eyes held a haunted look.

"What happened?" he asked quietly as he looked over his shoulder to make sure Angie wasn't listening. She was happily engaged in a conversation with Cammie so he turned 100% of his attention back to Catherine.

"Fairiborz." She ground out as she began to inhale and exhale deeply in an attempt to regain control.

"He called you?" Every fiber of Steve's being was immediately on alert. He placed his hand on Catherine's forearm then gently slid it down and removed the phone from her hand. He took a step closer and leaned in to kiss her gently.

As always, his mere presence calmed her and helped her regain her emotional footing. "He didn't call directly. But I know it was him."

"Mommy, mo' baa-el," Angie said as she held out her hands in the universal sign of 'all gone'.

"You must be hungry this morning," Steve said as he picked up a bagel half laying on the island and began to cut it into small pieces.

"When isn't she?" Catherine smiled but Steve could hear the tension in her voice. "She has her daddy's appetite."

Steve delivered the bagel to Angie then returned immediately to Catherine's side. "What do you mean he didn't call directly?"

"It was a recording." A slightly haunted look returned to Catherine's eyes. "Little girls voices calling out in Pashto for help. Then a loud explosion and … silence."

Steve's voice was barely above a whisper. "Just like the school in Kabul."

Catherine shook her head as tears stung the corners of her eyes. "I know it wasn't a real recording of that day. But still …" her voice trailed off.

Steve wrapped her in a tight hug. He knew that explosion, and the loss of nine little girls, still haunted her. Maybe even more so since Angie had come along.

"Somehow he must have figured out who I am." Catherine moved seamlessly into investigator mode. The call had momentarily thrown her off balance to be sure but there was no way she was going to let Fairiborz get under her skin. She was going to make him pay for all the pain and heartache he'd caused.

"How?" Steve asked. "Do you think he knows we know he's here?"

Catherine shook her head. "I doubt it. If he did, he would have been more direct. He would have come right out and identified himself. That's his style. He wants people to know who's inflicting their pain. He gets off on that. He must have seen my picture somewhere. Maybe read an article about my naval service and made the connection."

"Do you think there's a possibility he's getting information from someone inside law enforcement?" Steve asked.

Catherine's spine straightened. "I don't know," she said determinedly. "As soon as we gather enough evidence to bring him in, I'll ask him."

* * *

While Chin and Kono were on the street, meeting with local contacts, trying to get a line on what the locals might know about a new player in the illegal drug and gun trade, Steve and Danny met with Duke at headquarters.

"What do we know about the other men in these pictures," Steve asked he spread the three pictures of Almas Fairiborz out on the smart table.

Duke pointed to the first picture. "This is Dutch Leholi. He's the owner of Security First. That's the company that handles all the material HPD needs moved from our evidence storage to our secure warehouse."

"You think it was some of his employees that were involved in the theft of the items missing from HPD, right?" Danny asked.

"We're almost positive. We've gone over every step of the process with a fine-tooth comb and as far as we can tell the only chance for anything to disappear was between the time it left HPD and when it arrived at the warehouse. Other than that there are cameras and double security measures in place."

Steve nodded. He knew Duke had been working day and night on finding out how the materials went missing. If he believed it was someone from the transport company Steve was confident that's who it was. "How long has Security First been handling the transport?"

"About two years," Duke replied. "They have 28 employees." He placed a manila folder on the table. "These are the preliminary reports on all of them. They all passed enhanced background checks when they were hired. The checks were done by Security First, but we never had any reason to question them."

"Until now," Danny added.

"Exactly." Duke nodded. "We're running our own checks on every employee now. So far nothing has turned up. We're waiting for access to their financial records but we're having a little trouble getting a subpoena approved."

"I'll call Frank Kaewa and see if he can hurry things along," Steve offered. He knew the Prosecuting Attorney's office had a number of big cases going on at the moment, but he wanted to make sure Frank understood the importance of getting Almas Fairiborz off the street. "What do we know about the other men in the pictures?"

"That one is Jack Durham." Duke pointed to the second picture. "According to the FBI he runs an import/export business in LA. Collectibles is the cover but they're pretty sure he moves most of the illegal guns and drugs in California. They've been trying to bust him for years, but he has powerful friends protecting him."

Duke pointed to the third picture. "As far as we can tell these guys are just muscle for Fairiborz. They arrived on the island about a month or so ago and have mostly been laying low since then."

"That won't last." Steve scratched the back of his neck. "Eventually they're gonna start making moves. We have to take them down before that happens."

"I'll keep digging into any connection Dutch Leholi and his employees might have to Fairiborz," Duke said. "I'll let you know as soon as anything turns up."

"Thanks," Steve and Danny said in unison as Duke picked up his folders and headed towards the door, eager to get back to HPD and get to the bottom of what was going on.

After he left a strange silence hung in the air. Steve could feel Danny's eyes on him. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing." Danny continued to stare. "I'm just trying to figure out what kind of harebrained scheme you're hatching in your head so I know just how crazy my life is going to get today."

"What makes you think I'm hatching a harebrained scheme?"

"I know you. This guy called Catherine. He crossed a line." Danny's hands landed on his hips. "You're hatching a harebrained scheme."

"I am not … it's not harebrained." Steve planted his hands on his hips as well and the two men faced each other defiantly.

"You can't just kill him," Danny pointed out.

"Who says?"

"I say. Catherine says. The law says," Danny argued.

Steve refused to give in. "There's a difference between shouldn't and can't."

"Point taken." Danny sighed heavily. "I have no doubt you could kill him if you set your mind to it. Any one of a hundred different ways. But you know that's not the right thing to do. We need to bring him in. Put him on trial."

Steve remained defiant. "The world would be a better place without him in it."

"I agree." Danny knew he had to find a way to reel Steve in quickly before he became attached to the idea of personally ending the life of the man who had wreaked so much havoc in the lives of so many people, Catherine included. "But if you just kill him and dump his body in the ocean you're taking away the chance for his victims to get closure. For them to see him punished. To get a chance to tell their stories."

Steve glared. "I hate it when you're right."

"You're admitting I'm right?" Danny mock clutched his chest. "I'm not sure my heart can take it."

Steve's voice softened. "You didn't see her face this morning after that call," he told his partner. "She was devastated. It was like she was re-living the moment that school exploded." His eyes darkened. "He deserves to die just for putting that look there."

"What did you tell me Catherine told you right before you left the house?" Danny prompted.

Steve grumbled his reply. "Not to do anything stupid."

"Exactly." Danny turned his attention back to the folders spread out in front of them. "So let's figure out a way to bring this guy down legally."

* * *

"Listen, Catherine, off the record, I believe you. 100%. If you say this is Fairiborz then as far as I'm concerned it is," Commander Tim Jacoby said sincerely. "But the word came down from the top that as far as the navy is concerned there's nothing to investigate here because Fairiborz is dead."

Leah and Catherine had arranged a meeting between themselves, the Five-0 team, HPD, and a representative from naval intelligence. Their hope was to get some assistance from the navy over and above simply producing all their files on Fairiborz. They were hoping to gain access to personnel on the ground in Afghanistan who might be able to tap local informants for information.

Catherine huffed in frustration. "They can look all the way back to the report I wrote immediately after the explosion. I said even then he wasn't dead. I said he was the one that planted and detonated the bombs to cover his own escape."

"For what it's worth, I believe you," Jacoby reiterated. "But unfortunately, I have absolutely no wiggle room. The official position of the US Navy is that the man is dead and therefore no time or effort will be wasted investigating any further."

"Until we catch him," Steve growled. "Then they'll step forward and break their arms patting themselves on the back."

"Steve." Catherine placed her hand on his forearm. "Tim isn't the bad guy here."

"I just don't understand," Steve continued, though his tone was somewhat less combative. "We have a picture."

"Which we ran through facial recognition and came up empty," Commander Jacoby said.

"It's the lack of facial hair." Catherine studied the picture in question. "And he's lost some weight. And it looks like living on the run aged him. But there's no doubt in my mind. That is Almas Fairiborz. I'd know him anywhere."

"I believe you," Jacoby said. "And if there's anything I can do to help you off the books I will. But when it comes to getting formally involved my hands are tied. I can't do it."

"Please let your superiors know I'm unhappy with their decision," Leah said. She'd worked with the navy enough times to know that they weren't going to budge in this case. Their minds were made up and there was no point in discussing it any further. "When we bring Fairiborz in I'll expect a formal apology for my chief-of-staff."

"I'll let them know," Jacoby promised. He turned to Catherine. "I'm truly sorry. Please let me know if there's anything I can do personally."

Catherine shook his hand. "I will. Thanks."

"Well so much for hoping we can utilize naval resources," Kono said.

Catherine nodded. "That just means we have to do it all ourselves."

* * *

Steve felt Catherine get carefully out of bed a little after 2:00 AM. Instead of heading for the bathroom she slipped out the door into the hallway. He listened for a few seconds and heard her soft footfalls on the stairs.

He knew the case was getting to her.

He started to get out of bed then decided to give her some time to herself. To work through her own thoughts. When she still hadn't returned thirty minutes later, he grabbed the baby monitor and headed downstairs to find her.

"Did I wake you?" she asked.

He slipped into the Adirondack chair beside hers. "No."

"Liar," she teased.

"Fine." He set the monitor on the ground at his feet and took her hand. "I heard you get up. I wanted to give you some time alone with your thoughts but … I just want to make sure you know you don't have to hide your feelings about this from me. I promise I won't go off half-cocked and do something stupid."

Catherine squeezed his hand. "To be honest I came down here to remind myself why it would be wrong to just turn you loose and let you do something stupid."

"Really?" His eyes met hers. "Because I would you know. Just say the word."

"I appreciate that." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "But no. We're going to do this the right way."

"If you say so.' He settled back in his chair. "But if you change your mind just say the word."

**Stay tuned Friday for Chapter 4**


	4. Chapter 4

Steve's brow creased as he headed down the stairs and heard what sounded like a violent movie full of explosions and gunshots playing. It wasn't like Catherine to watch those kinds of movies at all, let alone in the morning, and with Angie present. He entered the kitchen to find his furious looking wife slamming her laptop shut.

"He sent an email," she ground out.

They both turned and looked at Angie who, after being momentarily distracted by the sound had returned to her regular morning conversation with Cammie who had placed herself protectively between the noise and her favorite tiny human.

"It went to my work email." Catherine's eyes sparked with anger. "He spoofed the address of a local women's group."

Steve's jaw tightened. "I'm gonna take your laptop to work with me." He took it out of her hands. "I'll see if Max can trace his location."

"Fairiborz is too careful to make a mistake like that," Catherine said. "But I guess it's worth a try."

"I also want you to stay in the office as much as possible today," Steve said. "I don't like the idea of you out in public alone until we get this guy under surveillance."

Catherine cocked one eyebrow. "But I'm not really alone, am I?"

Suddenly Steve couldn't meet her eyes. He scuffed the toe of his boots in a way that brought back memories of their academy days and made her smile. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I noticed two very large, very discreet men following me at a distance yesterday. When I saw them on my way to the senate office building I thought it might just be a coincidence, but when I saw the same two men again when I went out to pick up lunch, I knew they were following me."

Steve busied himself pouring a cup of coffee.

"I was almost ready to call 9-1-1," Catherine continued, "until I recognized one of them from that picnic we went to last year with your ex-teammates."

"Really?" Steve took one last shot at looking innocent even though he knew the jig was up. "That's odd."

Catherine shook her head. "Are you honestly trying to convince me that those men following me is not your doing?"

"I guess not." Steve finally met her eyes. "But don't expect me to apologize either. Bud Alpole runs a private security firm here on the island now, so I gave him a call. There's also a team watching Angie when she leaves the house."

Catherine smiled affectionately. "Is that all?"

"And one on your parents and Grandma Ang," Steve said.

"Do you think maybe we should tell people about them, so they don't worry about who's following them?" Catherine suggested. "Can you imagine Esther calling Kamekona and him sending over some of his brothers and cousins. That would be quite a melee."

Steve grinned. "You're probably right. The worst part is I have to tell Danny he was right. He said you'd spot them the first day."

"Well then, there's your punishment," she chuckled.

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "You're not mad that I brought them in without talking to you first?"

"Not this time." She wiped a smudge of lipstick from his face. "But don't make a habit of it."

* * *

"I'm telling you all the usual sources of information have dried up,' Chin said as the team stood gathered around the smart table planning their next move. "No one wants to talk. They're all afraid of something. Or someone."

"What about someone with current charges pending?" Danny asked. "Can we leverage them with some kind of deal?"

"From what I'm hearing deals are hard to come by these days," Chin replied, repeating a sentiment he'd heard echoed many times over the last few days. "Even people offering to give information on someone further up the chain are getting stiffer sentences than usual."

"That doesn't seem helpful," Danny groused. "How do we expect to get the higher ups if their underlings have no incentive to flip?"

"I have no idea," Chin agreed. "But more than one person has told me over the last few days that it feels like someone in high places in the law enforcement community has their thumb on the scale and they're trying to lock up anyone accused of drug-related activity, no matter how petty the offense."

"Did you talk to Duke?" Steve asked. "He hasn't mentioned anything about a drug sweep. Usually if HPD is running some kind of initiative he gives us a heads up."

Chin nodded. "I asked him. He said this is all coming from the prosecuting attorney's office."

"I have a meeting with Frank Kaewa later this afternoon," Steve said. "I'll bring it up with him. See if he can give us some help."

"We're not gonna be able to shake any information loose if we don't have anything to offer in return," Danny pointed out.

"I talked to some of the girls who work the streets down at the docks," Kono said. "They said pretty much the same thing. Everybody is running scared. The rumor is there's a new player in town who already has important friends. No one seems to have any details about him though."

"No word at all about where he might be hanging out?" Danny asked. "Other than those three pictures has anyone seen him at all?"

"Nope." Chin shook his head. "We have Dutch Leholi from Security First under surveillance but so far they haven't had another meeting."

"I asked some of the girls to let me know if they get any business from out of town clients or people new to the island," Kono said.

"We need to find Fairiborz as soon as possible," Steve said. "But we need to be discreet. We want to maintain the element of surprise. It'll be easier to find him if he doesn't know we're looking."

* * *

"Thanks for making time to meet with me today." Steve shook Frank Kaewa's hand as he entered the prosecuting attorney's inner office. "I have a bit of a sensitive issue to discuss with you."

"My door is always open." Frank took a seat behind his desk as Steve sat down in one of the upholstered visitors' chairs facing it. "What's up?"

"I know you're busy, so I'll get right to the point. Have you ever heard of a man named Almas Fairiborz?"

Frank shook his head. "I can't say that I have."

"He used to run the biggest illegal drug and gun operation in Afghanistan," Steve said. "Naval intelligence had him on the radar for a long time. About eight years ago they launched an effort to bring him down. He got wind of it and disappeared. But not before he blew up his entire compound. According to the navy he was killed in the explosion."

"Okay." Frank leaned forward. "I'm a little confused as to why you're asking me about a man who's been dead for almost a decade.'

"Because we don't believe he died in that explosion," Steve explained. "He escaped and has been living on the run. He managed to rebuild part of his organization in Afghanistan but with nowhere near the power and control he had before the explosion."

"Again, what does this have to do with me?" Frank wiped his palms on the legs of his pants under the desk.

"We believe Fairiborz is here on the island." Steve exhaled deeply. "We think he's trying to rebuild his empire in the US and using Oahu as a base of operations."

Frank picked up his pen, tapped it for a few seconds, then put it back on his desk. "What makes you think that?"

"We have pictures of him here," Steve said. "We captured them during unrelated surveillance. But we're sure it's him."

"That's … shocking news." Frank blinked rapidly. "Who all knows about this?"

"So far just Duke Lukela, my whole team, Catherine, the governor, the capitol security officers and a few private security people," Steve said.

Frank cleared his throat. "What is it you need me to do?"

Steve regarded him carefully. "Word on the street is you're not making deals even with low level drug dealers these days," he said.

"We're cracking down some. Yes," Frank conceded. "So much of the illegal activity on the island stems from the drug trade. We're trying to cut off problems at their source."

"Which I appreciate," Steve said. "But the problem is we're having trouble getting any cooperation in the Fairiborz investigation. A lot of people who might be in a position to have information have gone underground."

Frank fidgeted with some papers on his desk. "I have to weigh what's best for the people of Oahu against the idea of catching one man who, as far as I can tell, hasn't been accused of committing any crimes here in Hawaii yet."

"Yet is the operative word," Steve said. "It's only a matter of time."

"How do you know that? Maybe he's just here laying low," Frank argued. "We can't arrest him for international crimes unless we get the go ahead from Homeland Security and that doesn't seem likely if the navy has him listed as dead."

"The thing is," Steve took a deep breath and contemplated how much he wanted to tell Frank. "He's been harassing Catherine."

"What?" Frank's voice raised with alarm.

"She was one of the people leading the assault on his compound. And she never believed he died that night," Steve said. "Somehow he found out she's here and he's been calling and sending emails.'

Some of the color drained from Frank's face. "Has he threatened her?"

"Not exactly," Steve replied. "More like he's trying to intimidate her."

"Well, if she wants to file a complaint that would change things," Frank said.

"Right now, we want to keep the investigation as far under the radar as possible," Steve said. "We don't want Fairiborz to know we're on to him. We want to maintain the element of surprise."

Frank took a few minutes to ponder his options. "I understand that. All things considered, I'm not willing to end the crackdown at this point, however, if there's someone you think can help you in your investigation come to me and I'll consider reduced sentences on a case by case basis."

"Thank you." Steve stood to leave. "I'd appreciate it if you kept this conversation just between us for now."

"Absolutely." Frank stood and shook Steve's hand. "I'll ask you to please keep me up to date on the investigation. Daily reports even. If there's a man like that loose on the island I need to know."

"Will do," Steve said as he reached the door. "Thanks for your help, Frank."

"My pleasure." Frank crossed the office and looked out into the hall in time to see Steve exchange a goodbye with his secretary then approach the elevators. He closed the door, reached into his pocket and pulled out a burner phone. He dialed and waited for the call to connect on the other end.

"_This better be important,"_ the voice on the other end said.

"It is." Frank's jaw was tight. "They know you're here. We need to meet."

* * *

As Steve exited the building he pulled out his phone and called Danny.

"I'm on my way back," he said when Danny picked up. 'We have a problem. I think I know who's helping Fairiborz."

* * *

**Stay tuned for Chapter 5**


	5. Chapter 5

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Catherine said as she walked briskly into the conference room down the hall from her office where the Five-0 team was gathered for a briefing. "I was waiting for a courier to deliver these." She held up a thick manila envelope in one hand while juggling a stack of papers in the other. "Frank Kaewa's business and financial records. I had a copy made for everyone."

"Are you sure he won't be tipped off to the fact we got them?" Danny asked. "If he knows we're on to him he might warn Fairiborz and start dumping evidence."

"He'll never know," Catherine replied confidently.

"That's the reason it took a little longer," Steve explained. "If we'd gotten a subpoena from a state court judge there's no way we would have been able to keep it a secret. Frank has too many friends at the courthouse."

"So instead," Catherine handed each team member a stack of papers, "the governor called in a few favors at Homeland. They're not fully convinced yet that Fairiborz is alive but in case he is they don't want to take any chances. They got us access to everything we need and said to let them know if there's anything else they can do."

"So, in other words, they're covering their own asses," Chin pointed out.

"Pretty much," Catherine agreed as she took a seat at the head of the table. "But it got us what we need so I'm not going to argue."

The room fell silent as each of its occupants poured over the newly received material.

"Take a look at his business records," Kono said. "He started a house flipping business with his two brothers in 2005. A legal partnership. Looks like they bought, renovated, and sold anywhere from five to seven houses a year through about 2012. At that point they moved on to a couple of small strip malls. None more than ten units."

"We all knew about that," Danny said. "He invited us to the celebration of the groundbreaking on the place downtown. The one built specifically to house locally owned small businesses."

"I remember," Catherine said. "I hadn't been on the island long and barely knew Frank then, but I remember how proud he was of the project."

"Me too," Danny sighed.

When Steve had first relayed his suspicions that Frank Kaewa was working with Fairiborz Danny hadn't wanted to believe it. He considered Frank a friend. But if there was one thing he was sure of it was that Steve McGarrett could read people better than anyone he'd ever met. He picked up on things no one else would ever notice. And since he also considered Frank a friend, he wouldn't have made the accusation lightly. Danny didn't know the how or why yet, but he trusted his partner's instincts. If Steve thought Frank Kaewa was dirty, he was.

"Looks like they applied for two commercial permits that year." Chin flipped a few pages. "By 2018 they applied for nine, including a small 8-unit apartment building."

"Then take a look at page twenty-seven," Kono said.

"The partnership was dissolved six months ago." Steve scanned the information. "Or rather his brothers bought him out."

"And two months later he formed a new commercial real estate company under his own name. A sole proprietorship." Kono's eyes flew over the words on the page. "And look at his first project. A five-story building in the most expensive part of Honolulu. Retail space on the ground floor, luxury condos on the other four. The value is at least fifty times that of anything he and his brothers ever built."

"Where did the money come from?" Steve asked.

"Looks like a private equity firm," Chin said. "Hawaii Investment Group. I've never heard of them."

"Me either." Catherine jotted the name down on a notepad. "Probably a front for Fairiborz's dirty drug and gun money."

Steve nodded. "Most likely. What better way to launder illegal proceeds than through high end real estate?"

"I don't see anything unusual in his personal bank statements," Danny said. "Doesn't look like he had any large outflow of money. I can't see where he was paying off any large debts. Nothing but normal medical bills. If he's hiding money it must be in his business accounts."

"So, what would drive him to get in bed with a guy like Fairiborz?" Kono asked. "I mean he worked his whole adult life to put away criminals and make the streets safe. What happened to change all that?"

"When we arrest him we'll be sure to ask." Catherine eyes flashed with anger. "In the meantime, I'm going to find out more about any projects Frank's new company has applied for permits for aside from the building in Honolulu."

"Good idea. Chin, why don't you check into that equity firm. Discreetly of course. Find out if they have any connection to Fairiborz," Steve said. "Kono, dig into Kaewa's business financials. We need to know exactly how money is flowing into and out of his new business. Danny and I are going to find out exactly who got the contracts to work on the new building and see if they have any illegal involvement."

"I will be happy to get into that as soon as I get back," Danny said as he stood and gathered his papers. "If you recall today is the luncheon for the senior cheerleaders and their parents. I told you about it last week. I'm going to share a lovely experience with my daughter and try to forget that it means she'll be graduating in just a few months."

"Have fun." Steve grinned. "And I guess that means I'm free to have lunch with my lovely wife. If she's free, that is."

Catherine kissed his cheek. "I'm free."

"Gee, Kono, I guess we can just grab something at the shrimp truck on the way back to headquarters," Chin teased.

"I'd love to." Kono smiled. "You're buying."

* * *

Steve and Catherine were relaxing in her office, enjoying a light lunch and some quiet time together, when Steve's phone dinged with an incoming message. He glanced at the screen and his jaw immediately tightened. Before Catherine could ask what was wrong Jen tapped on the office door then peeked her head in. "I'm sorry to interrupt you but security is here, and they said they need to see you right away."

She stepped out of the way and two armed deputies entered the office.

"There's been an incident I need to talk to you about, Lieutenant Rollins," the older of the two deputies said. "Commander McGarrett, I'm glad you're here as well."

"I just got a message there was some sort of security issue," Steve said. "What's happening?"

"There was no physical threat or breach," the deputy assured them immediately. "Everyone is safe. But a package was intercepted in the mailroom."

"What kind of package?" Catherine asked.

The deputy took a breath then handed Catherine a large padded envelope. She emptied the contents onto her desk. She was immediately met with the sight of graphic crime scene photos taken the day of the school explosion in Kabul, complete with visible body parts. The envelope also contained local newspaper articles detailing the tragedy. She picked up one that listed the names of the nine dead girls and told a little about each of them. She didn't have to read it. She'd memorized the details long ago. Nine lives cut short for no reason.

Steve picked the material up off the desk and shoved it back in the envelope. Catherine was one of the strongest people he'd ever met but everyone had their limit. He didn't want her being exposed to any more visual reminders of that day. Her memories, and her bad dreams, were more than enough. The nightmares had been coming more frequently since Fairiborz started his terror campaign. And for that Steve was going to make him pay.

"Any proof of who sent this?" Steve asked.

The deputy held out his hand to retrieve the envelope. "We're working on tracking it."

"It was Fairiborz," Catherine said, her jaw tight. "He thinks that because he was never tied to that explosion no one would ever look at him as being the sender."

Steve reached out and squeezed her forearm. "We'll catch him."

Catherine placed her hand over his. She had no idea how she would deal with this whole mess without him by her side.

Her rock.

Together they could get through anything.

Her face took on a look of determination. "Damn right we will."

* * *

Chin and Kono looked up from the smart table as Steve and Danny entered headquarters.

"I think we found something," Steve said excitedly. "I messaged Catherine to meet us here."

"I think we may have something too," Chin said. "There's definitely foreign money behind the equity company that set Frank Kaewa up in his new business."

"What did I miss?" Catherine asked as she pushed through the glass doors.

"Not much," Chin said. "I was just saying that I traced the funding source for Hawaii Investment Group and it definitely came from an offshore bank. I'm trying to tie it directly to Fairiborz or any of his associates, but those banks are notoriously secretive. I may need the governor's help prying loose some details."

"No problem. She'll be glad to do whatever is necessary," Catherine said. "She has a busy afternoon but I'm sure she'll fit you in. Just tell her what you need, and she'll call her connection at Homeland."

"I'll walk back over with you when we're done here," Chin said.

"I found something interesting too. Turns out that about seventy-five percent of the space in the new building has already been leased," Kono said. "And guess who has already put in a purchase agreement on the penthouse. Hawaii Investment Group."

"So, it looks like Fairiborz has taken a liking it the island and decided to stay," Danny said.

Steve's jaw tightened. "He'll be in jail long before that penthouse is ever finished."

"You're right. He will." Catherine's tone was resolute. "You said you had a possible lead?"

Steve nodded. "We do. We did a little digging into the contractors working on the new building and we found something interesting. All of the building materials have been arriving by boat.

Some from the mainland and some from overseas."

"Nothing unusual about that," Chin said.

"Not at all," Steve agreed. "Except that there's a shipment scheduled to arrive next Friday that is double the size of anything up to this point. But as far as we can tell all the steel, which should be the largest shipment involved in the build, has already arrived. So, it doesn't make sense this one would be so big."

"You're thinking Fairiborz might be using this shipment as a cover to bring in guns and drugs." Catherine's words were more of a statement than a question. "By this point people are used to Frank's company receiving large shipments so this one might well slip through without anyone thinking it's odd."

"It makes sense," Danny said. "This purge the PA's office has been running is working. With more and more people being locked up there's a shortage of drugs and illegal weapons on the street. Now would be the perfect time for someone with a supply of both to step in and take over the market."

"But he can't wait too long or someone else might grab the opportunity," Kono said.

"Which is why I think next Friday's shipment is the one to target," Steve said. "I know that if we confiscate it and there's nothing illegal, we'll drive them underground and lose any advantage we might have so it's a risk. But I really believe it's the right move to make."

"That's good enough for me," Catherine said.

"Me too," the rest of the team chorused in unison.

"OK then," Steve exhaled deeply. "Let's make a plan."

* * *

**Tune in next Friday for more.**

'


	6. Chapter 6

"I don't understand why you won't admit this changes everything," Almas Fairiborz sneered. "Our under the radar approach is not going to fly, no pun intended. Lieutenant Rollins and her friends know I'm on the island. I haven't left this house for over a week for fear of being spotted. We need to become proactive. A little blood may need to be shed."

"No. Absolutely not." Frank Kaewa fought to keep his tone as even as possible. Years of courtroom experience had taught him to appear confident even if he felt anything but, like now. "They believe you're here on the island, yes. But they have no confirmation. The navy and the DOD still consider you dead. They won't get any help from any outside agencies. And they have no idea that you and I are connected which can work for us."

Fairiborz looked skeptical. "How exactly can that work for us?"

"I can get to the inside of any investigation into you," Kaewa pointed out. "They won't suspect me. They'll tell me everything. We'll know exactly what their next move is going to be, and we can plan accordingly."

Fairiborz took a deep breath and tried to run through the various possibilities in his mind. His preference, of course, was complete secrecy. He would have preferred to continue to operate in total anonymity as he had for his first months on the island. However, that was impossible now. He had to admit to himself that having someone he could trust close to any potential investigation into his activities was the next best thing.

"You're absolutely sure they don't suspect you?"

"Positive." Frank Kaewa nodded adamantly. "They're completely in the dark."

"I suppose it could be helpful having someone on the inside," Fairiborz conceded.

"Absolutely. And like I told you last week, another thing that would really be helpful would be if you would back off Catherine Rollins."

"I haven't contacted her since our last conversation," Fairiborz scoffed.

"She has powerful friends," Frank continued. "If they feel she's being threatened they'll stop at nothing to track down the source of the threat."

"Do I look scared to you?"

"No," Frank answered. "But you don't look stupid either. Why invite extra scrutiny? I've told you all along there's no need for violence. With me on the inside we can pull this whole operation off without any unnecessary bloodshed."

Fairiborz narrowed his eyes. "Sometimes violence is unavoidable."

"Violence always attracts unwanted attention and that's the last thing we need," Kaewa argued. "We're much better off to use other methods to gain the upper hand."

"Like throwing anyone who stands in our way in jail." The corners of Fairiborz's mouth raised ever so slightly in a smile. He had had years of experience wielding his power using force and brutality. His standard recourse against his enemies was to kill them. But now, via his new partner, he had the power to jail them. To watch them suffer over a longer period of time. Once his position was more secure, he would find a way to let them know that he was the one who had engineered their imprisonment.

"I was elected by the citizens of Oahu to clean up their streets and that's exactly what I'm doing." Frank grinned smugly.

Fairiborz steepled his fingers underneath his chin. "While lining your pockets with quite a bit of money at the same time."

"That's what I call a win/win," Frank replied. "It's also the number one reason you have to avoid bloodshed at all costs. If bodies start piling up, I can't protect you."

"There's a lot of open water surrounding this island," Fairiborz pointed out. "It seems to me it would be easy to make a person disappear without a trace."

"This island is more like a small town than you think," Frank warned. "If people start disappearing it gets noticed."

"I intend to live up to our agreement," Fairiborz said. "For now. You take care of any obstructions in my path by throwing them in jail and I won't have to use other measures to get them out of my way."

Frank took a deep breath. He didn't appreciate the fact that Fairiborz always held the threat of future violence over his head, but he'd have to accept it. For now. His most fervent hope was that once he got some of the biggest gun and drug dealers on the island put away and Fairiborz had a chance to get a foothold he'd see there were better ways to reach your goals than with violence. "That's our deal and I have every intention to living up to my end of it. We're so close now. Just one more week until our first shipment arrives. You just need to be patient a little while longer."

* * *

Steve hung up his phone and turned to the rest of the team gathered around the smart table with Duke, Grover, Lea and Catherine going over the plan for the raid on the shipment arriving in port in just a week. "We got him."

Catherine immediately noticed that along with a glint of triumph there was a hint of sadness in his eyes and knew that his suspicions about Frank Kaewa, a man he considered a friend, had been confirmed. "Frank led us to Fairiborz?" she asked.

Steve nodded. "He just left a meeting with him. He's holed up in a rented mansion on Diamond Head. The surveillance team got a couple of good pictures. It's definitely Fairiborz."

Duke's best HPD surveillance teams had been watching Frank Kaewa around the clock for over a week and there had been no unusual activity at all. It was to be expected that the prosecuting attorney would be very cautious about in-person meetings with a man like Fairiborz, but Steve suspected that with the large container shipment due to reach port in seven short days the two men would feel the need to touch base. And he was right.

Before he could say anything else his phone rang and he glanced at the screen. "Speak of the devil," he muttered.

He glanced at the team before connecting the call.

"McGarrett."

"_Hi, Steve. Frank Kaewa. I just wanted to check in and see if you had any more information on that man you were looking for. What was his name?"_

It was all Steve could do not to roll his eyes. "Fairiborz. No, there's nothing new to report. We're keeping our eyes open, but it looks like he might have left the island."

Danny smiled at the casual tone Steve used to toss out that piece of misinformation. There would be no reason for Frank Kaewa not to believe him.

"_Oh … well … that's good to hear. He sounded like a pretty nasty character. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help and keep me informed of any further developments."_

"Will do." Steve disconnected the call and slipped his phone back in his pocket. "I think we've regained the element of surprise. Let's get to work."

* * *

An hour later they had a plan firmly in place. Chin and Kono were going to lead the raid on the shipment at the docks. As soon as it was offloaded onto shore it would be seized and searched under an order issued by the governor.

Simultaneously, Grover and his team would move in on Almas Fairiborz. Now that they knew his location he too would be placed under surveillance. Lou and his men would form contingency plans to grab him whether in the house on Diamond Head or at some other location. They would have 48 hours to hold him without charges.

At this point, the evidence they had tying him personally to the shipment was tenuous at best. They had officers working around the clock to untangle the complicated web of offshore accounts that were financing the operation and the purposely opaque corporate structure of the Hawaii Investment Group and hopefully they'd have something more concrete by the time the shipment arrived but whether they did or not, the plan was to bring him in. If this was any other case, they would probably hold off until the case was airtight but there was no way they were taking a chance Fairiborz would get off the island before they were able to interrogate him.

Their best hope on getting a judge to sign off on an arrest warrant would be a confession from Frank Kaewa. That was where Danny, Steve and Catherine would be concentrating their efforts. If everything went as planned Almas Fairiborz would be entering his last week as a free man.

**TUNE IN NEXT FRIDAY FOR THE CONCLUSION**

* * *

_Find all our stories (in chronological order!) on our website: marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll_

_Or in the McRoll in the REAL World community here on fanfiction dot net Find us on Tumblr: mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com_

_You can join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with: Add me, please! in the subject line. Or just drop us a line to say hi! We love hearing from our readers__**.**_


	7. Chapter 7

ANs in part 1

* * *

"I just got off the phone with Commander Jacoby," Catherine said as she entered Five-0 headquarters to find the team going over last-minute details for the raid at the docks. "He came through for us."

Steve looked up from the records he was studying in preparation for questioning Frank Kaewa. "How so?"

"His brother is a lawyer in DC who apparently has some pretty high up connections at DoD," Catherine explained as Chin and Kono donned their TAC vests. "Officially Fairiborz is still listed as dead, but they've agreed to put a team on alert at Pearl. If we can get Frank Kaewa to formally identify the man he's been working with as Almas Fairiborz he'll be taken into custody immediately pending DNA verification of his identity. Once they confirm it's actually him, which we know they will, they'll take it from there."

"But wait, if the feds grab him up does that mean he'll just be sent back to Afghanistan?" Lou Grover asked. "Because I'm not sure we could count on him getting what he deserves there. He'll probably just disappear into the mountains again and make another run at getting a foothold in the United states somewhere down the road."

Catherine shook her head. "Not gonna happen. I'm not sure exactly what the final charges will be, but I know that before he was declared dead, he was wanted in connection with the deaths of at least 6 American personnel and multiple instances of intimidation of both witnesses and investigators. Those charges alone will probably land him in SuperMax for the rest of his life. I don't think he'll ever see his home soil again."

"Not to mention that I'm sure the CIA will want a crack at him at some point," Steve added. "Getting him into federal custody is really a best-case scenario for us. He hasn't started moving any product here on the island so the best we'd be able to charge him with at this point would be importing illegal cargo with an intent to distribute, bribing a public official, and a few financial crimes. A high-priced lawyer could most likely get him bail on those. We won't have to worry about that if he's facing federal murder charges. Good job, Cath."

"Tim Jacoby deserves the credit. He's the one who convinced his brother to pressure someone at the DoD," Catherine replied.

Steve smiled. "He only pressured his brother because he was so sure you're right about this guy being Fairiborz. And also, because you kept calling him five times a day applying your own pressure."

Catherine scoffed. "Three times a day tops."

Danny looked at his watch. "The shipment is due to start offloading in about an hour." He looked at Chin and Kono. "Time for you guys to get in position. Duke and his team are gonna be working off your orders."

Chin grabbed a weapons bag. "We're ready."

"The second the first box is offloaded let Lea know. She has the search and seize order ready to go," Catherine said.

Kono nodded. "We'll let you know as soon as we have anything to report."

"Lou, your guys have eyes on Fairiborz, right?" Steve asked.

"100%," Lou replied. "As soon as we get word the offload has started, we'll pick him up and bring him back here for interrogation."

"Perfect. Danny, Catherine and I are gonna head to Frank Kaewa's office and confront him with everything we already know. With any luck he'll decide to cooperate right out of the gate."

"Hopefully," Catherine agreed. "But even if he does, I want a chance to talk to Fairiborz before we turn him over to DoD."

Steve took note of the determined look in her eyes and knew there was no point in trying to talk her out of a face-to-face meeting. "Ok then, let's do this. Everyone stay safe."

* * *

As Steve, Catherine, and Danny made their way down the hall towards the prosecuting attorney's office they ran into the man himself hurrying towards them in the opposite direction carrying an armload of files.

"Just the man we were looking for," Danny said, purposely keeping his tone light.

"It's a busy day, guys. No time right now." Frank indicated the door. "I just have time to dump this stuff on my desk and I have somewhere I have to be …" He checked his watch. "10 minutes ago, actually. Talk to Rita and we'll set something up for first thing tomorrow."

Steve stepped directly into Frank's path causing the PA to pull up short. "I'm sorry, Frank. We have to insist."

"What …" It took a second for Frank to process what was happening. Once it did his jaw tightened and his breathing quickened. His mind reeled. Did they know? How could they know? He'd been so careful. He studied Steve's face for clues and saw nothing. His eyes moved to Catherine, then Danny. All three looked resolute.

"Fine. I guess I can give you a few minutes." He pulled out his phone. "I just need to call and let my next meeting know I'll be late."

Before he could dial Steve took the phone from his hand. "I can't let you do that."

Any faint hope Frank had that this was about something other than his involvement with Fairiborz evaporated. He inhaled deeply. "Let's step into my office then."

Steve pocketed the phone as they stepped through the door into the large outer office.

"Rita, no interruptions please," Frank said brusquely to his assistant as Steve, Catherine and Danny followed him towards the door at the far end of the room. Once inside his well-appointed private office Frank took a seat behind his large oak desk, desperately grasping for any chance to gain the upper hand in whatever was about to happen. "What can I do for you three today?"

"For starters," Steve said as he stood directly in front of Frank's desk, "You can tell us what in the world you were thinking when you decided to go into business with Almas Fairiborz."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Frank's carefully honed courtroom skills failed him as the words didn't even sound convincing to his own ears.

"I want you listen to me very carefully." Steve leaned over and placed his palms on Frank's desk to bring them more to eye-level which caused Frank to recoil slightly. "We're not playing games here. We know you're in business with Fairiborz. We know he's financing your new building. We know you're laundering money for him."

Each of Steve's accusations landed on Frank like a physical body blow.

"We know you have a shipment of illegal cargo arriving at the docks about now," Steve continued. "We're giving you one chance to come clean with everything you know."

"Or what?" Frank asked with all the false bravado he could muster. He was desperately trying to buy himself time to figure some way out of his current predicament. "I have no idea what you think you know but I've done nothing wrong. An investor offered to finance my plans for a new building project, and I accepted. I don't think he's doing anything illegal but if he is, I'll investigate it and take appropriate action. And as for this Almas Fairiborz you keep mentioning, I have no idea who that even is."

Steve pulled out his phone and scrolled to the HPD pictures of Frank and Fairiborz together. "You've been under surveillance for weeks, Frank." He turned the phone towards his former friend. "The jig is up."

Catherine could see in his eyes that Frank was starting to spiral mentally so she decided to lay out his options in an effort to make him focus.

"Listen, Frank, Governor Kekoa has already signed an order to seize the cargo off the ship. SWAT is apprehending Fairiborz as we speak." Her eyes narrowed. She had no time to be gentle with a man who violated the public trust so egregiously. "But here's the part you really want to pay attention to. DoD will be taking over this case within the hour. You may think you have some powerful friends here on the island, but they won't be able to help you once the feds get involved. You're getting arrested one way or the other because your name is on that shipment. The question is whether you want to get all the perks that come with being a cooperating witness or you want to be treated no better than the scum you decided to go into business with."

Frank took several deep breaths. He's spent most of his career advising desperate people that taking a deal was in their best interests. He was certainly smart enough to take his own advice now. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

"First we need to hear you say the name of your business partner," Danny growled.

"Almas Fairiborz."

Catherine pulled out her phone to call Tim Jacoby and let him know the identification had been made.

"Why in the world would you get in bed with a man like that?" Danny asked angrily. "You put your heart and soul into cleaning up the streets here for decades. You grew up here. You know the people who live here. Why would you unleash a monster like that on the streets?"

"You wanna know why?" Frank's eyes flashed with anger. "Because I went to my law school class reunion last year. The parking lot was filled with cars I would never be able to afford. Guys wearing suits that cost more than I make in a month. Talking about all their vacations to places I'd never be able to visit. And you know how most of them make all that money? Defending people like Almas Fairiborz. Or worse."

"So quit and become a defense attorney," Danny spat out.

"I thought about it," Frank said. "In fact I was talking to an ex-classmate about doing just that when he mentioned he had a client who had an associate who was looking to expand business operations here on the island and might be interested in a partnership and next thing I knew I was sitting down across a table from Fairiborz and he was offering me enough money to buy everything I ever dreamed of."

Steve glared at Frank. "You know I was holding out hope that you'd been coerced into this deal somehow. But as it turns out if was nothing but plain old garden variety greed."

Catherine hung up her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. "The goods at the dock are being seized as we speak. Grover has Fairiborz in custody. The DoD team will meet us at HQ."

"Frank Kaewa, you're under arrest," Steve said. "Place your hands on the desk in front of you palms up."

* * *

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Danny asked as he approached the interrogation room with Catherine.

"Positive."

Steve hurried down the hall to catch up with them. "The DOD team said we can have 10 minutes tops then we need to transfer custody."

"We better get to it then," Catherine said as she reached for the doorknob.

They entered the room to find Almas Fairiborz handcuffed to a chair in the middle of the otherwise empty room under the watchful eye of Lou Grover.

"Lieutenant Rollins, we meet at last."

Catherine took a position directly in front of the prisoner. She locked her eyes on his and held the gaze until he looked away to check out the room's other newcomers. There was no way she was going to let him think he intimidated her.

"I was so hoping we'd get a chance to meet under better circumstances." He smiled ferally as his eyes drifted back to hers. "Perhaps after I get out of here, we can arrange something a little more … private."

Catherine didn't flinch and was happy to see that Steve and Danny, standing to her right and left respectively, didn't either. They all knew Fairiborz was looking for a reaction. Some indication he'd gotten under their skin. They refused to give him that satisfaction

"You know it's too bad we couldn't have gotten to know each other better back in my country. Unfortunately, you and your cohorts were interlopers trying to interfere with the running of a nation you didn't belong in."

"We were trying to protect the people of your country from terrorists like you," Catherine replied, careful to keep her tone even.

Fairiborz grinned. "Like you protected those girls at that school?"

Catherine had prepared herself fully for him bringing up that event.

"Sadly, I couldn't save those girls," she conceded. "That's something I have to live with every day. But I love your country and I know I did everything I could while I was there to make it a safer place. To save it from people like you."

"I am a patriot," Fairiborz insisted.

"You are a coward," Catherine shot back. "Who faked your own death and ran off to hide in the mountains rather than face trial. If you were such a patriot, you would have stayed and faced charges."

Fairiborz's face contorted in anger and it was clear Catherine had hit a nerve. "I demand to see my lawyer," he thundered. It was imperative he get out of this room and out of the United States as soon as possible. He had a boat on constant stand by and could be in international waters in ninety minutes where he would have time to plan his next move.

"You'll have to take that up with the Department of Defense," Catherine said casually. "Their rules are a little different than ours."

"What are you talking about?" Fairiborz growled. "When I was arrested I was told I was being charged with importing illegal goods. I imported nothing. My name is not on any shipping manifest. My lawyer will have me out of here in an hour."

"About that." Catherine took a step closer. "Those were just the initial charges. And you're right we probably couldn't have held you long on those. But now that Frank Kaewa is talking, and doing a good job I might add of confirming your identity, the DoD is rethinking their position and admitting you may not be quite as dead as they previously thought."

Fairiborz struggled against the handcuffs. "You won't get away with this."

"Enjoy SuperMax, Almas," Catherine said as she turned to leave. "I've heard the food is awful but at least the beds are hard."

She turned on her heels and left the room as Fairiborz continued to struggle. The officers tasked with taking custody of him stepped into behind her. Grover unhooked the chain holding Fairiborz to the chair and he immediately lunged towards the door. The cuffs around his ankles caused him to fall forward, short of his intended destination. At lightning speed Steve raised his knee and scored a direct hit on the falling man's face.

"You really shouldn't have done that," he said as Fairiborz fell to the floor, writhing in pain.

"They never learn," Danny said as he stepped over the prone form and exited the room.

Steve leaned over and whispered in Fairiborz's ear. "If you so much as think about contacting Catherine Rollins in any way ever again I will make sure it's the last thought you ever have."

**THE END**

* * *

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